1. Digital transformation of democracy?
Challenges and Opportunities
Axel Polleres – Distinguished Visiting Austrian Chair Professor at Stanford University
Website:

2. THREAT OPPORTUNITY Digitization & Democracy: Threat or Opportunity?
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Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
THREAT
OPPORTUNITY

3. “I’m actually not sure we shouldn’t be regulated”
“I’m actually not sure we shouldn’t be regulated”
When we talk about Digitzation and Democracy, in the last few days, everybody was talking about this gentlemen’s questioning in from ot the US congress, but many forget that
1) We’ve lost control of our personal data
2) It’s too easy for misinformation to spread on the web
3) Political advertising online needs transparency and understanding

4. THREAT OPPORTUNITY DIGITIZATION AND DEMOCRACY
More versatile forms of democracy become possible?
Grass-roots movements
Automated Accountability
GDPR? Blockchain in Public Administration
eGovernment (e.g. eID)
Improved efficiency
Open Data
Improved transparency …
“AI” to manipulate opinions, loss of control of personal information
Cambridge Analytica et al.
Web Fragmentation,
Net Neutrality
Recent US FCC
eGovernment (e.g. eID)
“Improved” surveillance?
Open Data
Misinterpretations, Misuse? ….

5. What if … we had full control of our personal data?
EU GDPR:
Data portability
Full transparency
Understandable Consent
Revokable Consent
Right for Erasure
Significant fines for personal data breaches
Regulation (EU) 2016/679

6. What’ missing? EU GDPR: Data portability  Standard exchange formats
Full transparency
Understandable Consent
Revokable Consent
Right for Erasure
Significant fines for personal data breaches
 Standard exchange formats
Open Architectures
Decentralized transparency records
 Policy Templates & Consent Dashboard
Scalable Policy-awarE linked data arChitecture for prIvacy, trAnsparency and compLiance

7. Why Decentralization? What’ missing? EU GDPR: Data portability
Full transparency
Understandable Consent
Revokable Consent
Right for Erasure
Significant fines for personal data breaches
 Standard exchange formats
Open Architectures
Decentralized transparency records
 Policy Templates & Consent Dashboard
Decentralized
Scalable Policy-awarE linked data arChitecture for prIvacy, trAnsparency and compLiance

8. eID: Threat or Opportunity?
”Handy-Signatur” Austria
vs.
vs.

9. eID: Threat or Opportunity?
Handy-Signatur/Bürgerkarte:
eGovernment services
Valid signature e.g. for private contracts
Maintained via a central, trusted third-party (A-Trust)
+ : 2-step verification via TAN and 2 devices, considered very secure
- : all Authentications/Signatures go through a central, national trusted party
vs.
vs.

10. eID: Threat or Opportunity?
eIDs issued by commercial entities?
+ : not state controlled… wait?
- : central authority with a commercial interest
vs.
vs.

11. eID: Threat or Opportunity?
Estonian eID
Digital ID since 2001
iVoting since 2005
incl. eResidency for foreigners
+ : more lightweight, 2 services can use the credentials without going through a central server
- : less convenient/secure? (security threat detected Aug 2017)
vs.
vs.

12. eID: Alternative? Technologically possible! Block chain
Verifiable Claims
DID: Distributed,
Self-Sovereign
Identity

13. eID: Alternative?
Slide by Markus Sabadello (danubetech)

14. THREAT OPPORTUNITY DIGITIZATION AND DEMOCRACY eGovernment (e.g. eID)
Improved efficiency
More versatile forms of democracy become possible?
Open Data
Improved transparency
Automated Accountability
GDPR? Blockchain in Public Administration …
eGovernment (e.g. eID)
“Improved” surveillance?
“AI” to manipulate opinions
Cambridge analytica et al.
Open Data
Misinterpretations, Misuse?
Web Fragmentation, Net Neutrality
Recent US FCC ….

15. Open Data: What is it? Privacy Transparency
Just as my private data hould be protected, public data should be transparent

16. Open Data is a Global Trend!
EU & Austria, but also the (previous) US and UK administrations are/were pushing Open Data!
DIRECTIVE 2007/2/EC INSPIRE

17. UN Public Service Award 2014!
Open Data in Austria
data.gv.at
opendataportal.at
UN Public Service Award 2014!

18. Open Data as a means for transparency and democracy – Example: offenerhaushalt.at
Open Data freely available and accoiuntable facts against – for instance – “fake” news.

19. Open Data risks: “Freedom of Information”vs. “Amtsgeheimnis”
Open Data sustainability and commitment by the government
improvements, etc.
Quality and Usability of Open Data

20. Jan 20 2017 Inauguration of new US president
Open Data risks: change in political agenda/priorities
“Freedom of Information”vs. “Amtsgeheimnis”
Open Data sustainability and commitment by the government
improvements, etc.
Quality and Usability of Open Data
Jan Inauguration of new US president

21. UK administration triggers “Article 50”
Open Data risks: change in political agenda/priorities
“Freedom of Information”vs. “Amtsgeheimnis”
Open Data sustainability and commitment by the government
improvements, etc.
Quality and Usability of Open Data
Mar
UK administration triggers “Article 50”

22. Ongoing Projects (data.wu.ac.at)

23. Ongoing Projects (data.wu.ac.at)

24. Improving Open Data usability: Why Open Data Search is difficult
Open Data Search is hard...
No natural language „cues“ like in Web tables...
Existing knowledge graphs don‘t cover the domain of "Open Data“
Open Data is not properly geo-referenced

25. Ongoing Projects (data.wu.ac.at)

26. Take-home: Democracy needs Sustainable Computing
In order to secure democracy in digitization we need to ensure
Privacy,
Transparency,
Decentralization, and
Usability
We need a general discussion about ”Sustainable Computing needs to be a substantial part of “Sustainable Governance”
sustainablecomputinglab.at
Thank you!
doingthingswithdata.wordpress.com

27. Take-home: Democracy needs Sustainable Computing
In order to secure democracy in digitization we need to ensure
Privacy,
Transparency,
Decentralization, and
Usability
We need a general discussion about ”Sustainable Computing needs to be a substantial part of “Sustainable Governance”
sustainablecomputinglab.at
Thank you!
csh.ac.at
doingthingswithdata.wordpress.com

28. Take-home: Democracy needs Sustainable Computing
In order to secure democracy in digitization we need to ensure
Privacy,
Transparency,
Decentralization, and
Usability
We need a general discussion about ”Sustainable Computing needs to be a substantial part of “Sustainable Governance”
sustainablecomputinglab.at
Thank you!
csh.ac.at
doingthingswithdata.wordpress.com